We will begin by stating that we are ceasing our DDoS attacks on Sony altogether, as we believe the impact of this particular type of attack has surpassed it’s peak. Sony’s poor attempt to explain the system outages by lying about the nature of them is laughable. Therefore, Anonymous is now choosing to pursue other ways of getting Sony’s attention.

Secondly, it has recently come to our attention that George Hotz, also known as GeoHot, has reached a settlement with Sony regarding the court case involving those two parties. As further details are being withheld, we will refrain from speculating.

In the eyes of the law, this case is over. We disagree. We believe Sony’s actions in this case are unjust. We do not agree with Sony forcing social media sites like Youtube to hand over the IP addresses of people who viewed GeoHots videos. We view this as a severe violation of privacy rights. We disagree with Sony forcefully gathering personal information from other companies like PayPal. We find it unacceptable that Sony is even permitted to request this information in the first place. These acts are completely disrespectful and unforgivable.

This is not about one man’s lopsided battle against a huge corporation. The actions of Sony have far-reaching implications for every person who has purchased and therefore owns a piece of equipment, regardless of the manufacturer.

The current solution will only embolden other greedy corporations to employ similar unfair tactics, so it is necessary to continue our protest to make our voices heard. We invite you to do the same. Operation Sony, or OpSony for short, is simply the opening shot.

Where the judicial system has failed, Anonymous will persevere, by standing up for the rights of everyone, not just those who dared to challenge these corporations. Geohots‘ belief was in the freedom of information dissemination. We will stand with him.

On April 16th, we will take the protests against Sony to the streets. We encourage anyone who is able to come to a nearby Sony Store to support the cause, even if you are not usually involved with Anonymous. This is not just about Anonymous – this is about your rights.

If you wish to attend, be sure to check on your local laws and regulations regarding hiding your face during protests and, if allowed, cover your face, whether it is the usual Guy Fawkes masks or some other form of facial covering. Of course you can always wear a mask, even if it’s prohibited by law – but be aware that this can pose a serious legal risk. You should also be aware of potential ’saboteurs‘, whether from police forces / corporate security, or Sony itself.

If needed, get into contact with others in your area that are going to protest (for example through IRC or the Facebook page), and make preparations before the actual protest takes place. Set up a ‚legal team‘ that consists of at least 1 person that does not take part in the protest itself, who is in contact with a lawyer. Make sure the phone number of the ‚legal team‘ is written on your arm with something like permanent marker, to make sure you cannot lose it in a full body search – better safe than sorry. It is also a good idea to make sure your ‚legal team‘ stays in contact with other anons, to keep everyone updated about the running protests, as well as possible arrests.

For more important information on protests, you can refer to http://www.urban75.org/mayday02/legal.html (here you can also find important tips to keep yourself safe). While this document is aimed at the United Kingdom, the situation in other countries will often be similar, however, it is always a good idea to check your local laws and regulations. If you have any questions, you can always ask them in the IRC (chat) channel.

Let us show Sony that all information is free and that we own the things we buy, now and forever.